Gold washer and amalgamator.



No. 836,148. PATENTED Nov. zo, 1906. 4J. J. SOUT'HWIGK. GOLD WASHER ANDAMALGAMATOR.

APPLIGATION FILED 001219. 1905.

1HE NoRRrs Ferries co., wAsHmamN, D. r:4

PATENT OFFICE.

UNITED STATES JAMES J. SOUTHWIOK, OF GREATy HALF TO MAX I.. GOLDSTEIN,

GOLD WASHER AND AIVI'ALGAIVIATOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 20, 1906.

Application filed October 19, 1905. Serial No. 283.407.

To @ZZ whom it muy concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES J. SoU'rHwicK, a citizen of the United States,and a resident of Great Falls, in the county of Cascade and State ofMontana, have invented a new and Improved Gold Washer and Amalgamator,of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

rl`his invention relates to means for saving iine gold that is in Hakes,and which in washing pay dirt is ordinarily iioated and carried awaywith the water used to separate values from the dirt.

The invention consists in the peculiar construction of a gold washingand amalgamating apparatus andv in the novel method for amalgamatinggold that is washed from waste matter as the rich. dirt is passedthrough the machine. v

Reference is t-o be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part ofthis specification, in which similar characters of reference indicatecorresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure l is a sectionall side view taken sub stantially on the line l lin Fig. 2. Fie'. 2 is a partly-sectional plan view substantially on theline 2 in Fig. l, and Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional viewsubstantially on the line 2 3 in Fig. 1.

In the drawings, 5 indicates a sluice-box of rectangular contour and anycubical capacity that may be preferred. An amalgamating-chamber 5 isformed at one end of the sluice-box, having a suitable depth, and, asshown, the transverse end wall a, of the sluice box forms acorresponding end wall for the chamber. The front transverse wall l) ofthe amalgamating-chamber 5a is arranged parallel with the rear end walla and preferably is about one-half of the height of said wall. Froin theupper edge of the front wall b extends forwardly a stepped bottom boardc, 'formed with transverse riffles c.

In the chamber 5a, on the opposite side walls thereof, a plurality ofspaced cleats d are formed or secured, there being an equal number oneach side vv all.r As shown, three strips or cleats d are provided foreach wall; but this number may be increased if it is found necessary. The cleats cl are so spaced apart in parallel planes that'two horizontalc iannels are formed between the set of cleats on each side wall, and ineach pair of opposite channels a screen-plate 6 is loosely inserted,thus disposing two similar screenplates in the amalgamator-chamber 5a,which plates extend of a proper width from the front wall of saidchamber rearward and have a suitable degree of separation. Thescreenplates 6 are perforated at proper intervals of separationthroughout their areas, and it 1s preferred to arrange the perforation'sin one plate, so that they will not be directly opposite those in theother screen-plate, as is indicated in Fig. l. The screen-plates 6 areformed of sheet-copper of proper thickness and are coated with mercuryamalgamthroughout their areas. The width of the screen-plates betweentheir front vand rearedges permits a free introduction of the samebetween the cleats the rear forwardly in t e intervening channels, and,as sho-wn, the length of the cleats d and width of the plates 6 fromfront to rear permit a rectangular space to intervene between them andthe rear wall a of the cham-` ber 5a.

A lrectangular conduit for pay dirt is employed comprising a hopper-box7, which converges toward the lower end thereof, and from the lower endof the hopper-box a rectangular feed-pipe 7.a extends as a continuationof the same. The feed-pipe 7aL is adapted to fit loosely in the spacewithin the chamber. 5a behind the screen-plates 6, and it will be seenthat the contact of the rear wall of the hopper-box upon the upper edgeof the rear wall a and rear ends of the cleats d serves to maintain theconduit upright when inserted into position for service.

It vwill also be noted in Fig. l that the length of the feed-pipe 7a isso proportioned in relation to the depth of the sluice-box at the rearend that a suitable space a is af-. forded between the lower end of saidfeedpipe and the bottom of the amalga'matingchamber 5a.

On the upper portions and outer surfaces of the sides of the sluice-box5 two similar upright guard-wall plates 5b are secured, which extendfrom the front ends to the rearv ends of said side walls.

d by passing them from IOO A stepped trackway 8 is formed or secured onthe inner surface of each guard-wall plate 5b, as is shown for onetrackway in Fig. l. The steps of the similar trackways 4ascend towardthe front ends of the guard-walls, and

\ ment-flange e.

' rearward, as shown for one track-bar in Fig. n

A straightl track-bar 9 vis pivoted at its front end upon the innersurface of each guard-wall plate 5b, and, as appears in Fig. 1, thepoint g of pivotal engagement for each track-bar is spaced somewhat fromthe upper side of the respective trackway 8 and also from theabutment-flange e, which is adjacent thereto.

Each track-bar inclines downward and 1, and at the loose rear end restsupon the upper edge of a respective side wall of the sluice-box 5.

A rake consisting of a head-bar 10, having spaced teeth tprojectedtherefrom, is secured by ends of the head-bar upon the ends of arectangular yoke-frame comprising two side arms 11 11 and a spacingcross-bar 11a, as indicated in Figs. 1 and 3. The arms 11 have suchseparation in parallel planes that they are permitted to loosely embracethe opposite sides of the hopper-box 7, and thus dispose the rakehead-bar 1 0 and the depending teeth thereon in front of the hopper-box.The ends of the head-bar 10 extend outside of the arms 11 suiiicientlyto form trunnions i, which when the rake-teeth h are drawn into arearward position near the hopper-box 7 rest upon the upper edges of thesides of the sluice-box 5, as indicated in Figs. 2 and 3.

It will be evident that if the rake is in the position shown in Fig. 1and subsequently is pushed forward the trunnions i will slide upon theinclined track-bars 9 and drop from the front ends of said track-barsupon the upper steps of the stepped trackways 8, the abutment-flanges epreventing an improper forward travel of thetrunnions. The rakingoperation is continued by a reversed movement of the rake and itsoperating-frame, which will cause the trunnions i', to slide down thestepped trackways 8 until they lift the free ends of the inclinedtrack-bars 9 and pass from beneath them. The teeth of the rake are ofsuch length that they clear the stepped bottom board c when the rake isreciprocated and also have clearance from the upper screen plate 6.

Preparatory to the operation of the improved apparatus thereis asufficient quantity of quicksilver A placed in the amalgamating-chamber5a to fill it and cover the uppermost screen-plate 6. The fine pay dirtthat may be pervaded with Hake gold or very fine granular gold that inthe ordinary gold-washer apparatus is generally floated away is nowmixed with water, so as to render it nearly liquid or quite so, themixture being well stirred to remove coarse refuse matter; The mixtureof pay dirt and water is now poured down into the hopper-box 7, fallinginto the lower end of the feed-pipe 7 a, from which it passes forwardlythrough the openfrom pay dirt no matter how fine and flal ing a, thisbeing due to the force of gravity, which when the hopper-box is nearlyfull serves to press the liquid pay dirt through the quicksilver A andbelow the lower screenplate 6.

It will be observed thatv the granular or fine gold carried insuspension along with the water will be brought into intimate contactwith the quicksilver A and be amalgamated therewith, and as the watertogether with sand and other light impurities are carried upward throughthe screen-plates 6 the sifting action and mercury coating of saidplates will cause such fine gold as contacts therewith to adhere and becoated thereon.

A gage 12 (shown by dotted lines in Fig. 1) indicates on the exterior ofthe sluice-box the height of the liquid pay dirt in the chamber, andthus enables a proper. feed of the same down through the pipe 7 a to bemanually effected, or the same may be rendered automatically continuousby any suitable means.

The rake and its actuating-frame may be reciprocated by any preferredmeans, and it serves to agitate the water and sand as it passes over thebottom board c, so that any gold that may be coated with dirt thatprevented the grains from being amalgamated by its heft will be lodgedagainst the riies c', and thus be saved.

At any time it is desired the gold and mercury amalgam may be removedfrom the apparatus andl subsequently heated in a suitable retort andcondenser, vaporizing the mercury that leaves the gold, as is usual insuch treatment of amalgamated values for the separation of preciousmetal from mercury, and of course the mercury when cooled in a properreceptacle will resume its normal condition ready for reuse. The goldthat may have been amalgamated withI the mercury coating on thescreen-plates 6 may be separated therefrom by heating the plates so asto vaporize the mercury.

It will be seen that the methodfor introducing the liquefied paydirtinto and then upwardly through a mercury-bath by gravity of a column ofthe liquid pay dirt is perfect in principle, as it prevents the loss ofany gold it may be, and this method is a feature of the invention.

It is obvious that the means for stirring the liquid pay dirt may besomewhat modified within the scope of the invention, and I claimv allsuch changes in the constructive details of the apparatus as fairly fallwithin the scope of the claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent- 1. In apparatus of the class described and incombination, a sluice-box, an amalgamating chamber communicatingtherewith, a plurality of vertically-spaced screen-plates in IOO theamalgamating-chamber, a stepped bottom board provided with a pluralityof riflies leading from the amalgamating-chamber, a conduit-pipe havinga hopper-box on its upper end and held erect in the chamber at the rearof the screen-plates, said conduit-pipe having an opening at its frontand lower end7 and an agitating device comprising atransversely-disposed rake, means for reciprocating said rake, and meansfor guiding said rake in one direction in lines parallel with thestepped bottom.

2. In apparatus of the class described and in combination7 a sluice-boX,an amalgamatingchamber communicating therewith7 a plurality ofvertically-spaced screen-plates in the amalgamating-chamber, a steppedbottom board having a plurality of rifl'les leading from theamalgamating-chamber7 a conduit-pipe communicating withitheamalgamating-chamber7 and an agitating device comprising a transverselydisposed rake7 means for reciprocating said rake, and means Jfor guidingsaid rake in one direction in lines parallel with the stepped bottom.

3. In apparatus of the class described, a

' sluice-box provided with an amalgamatingchamber, a stepped bottomboard having a plurality of riiiies and leading from theamalgamating-chamber7 a rake7 means for reciprocating the rake over thebottom board7 and means for guiding the rake in one direction in linesparallel with the stepped bottom.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

JAMES J. SOUTHWICK.

Witnesses:

A. C. GORMLEY, J WEINBERGER.

